The present invention relates to an outer diameter deburring tool. More specifically, but without limitation, the present invention relates to an outer diameter deburring tool that deburrs the outer diameter of tubing and prevents burrs, shavings, thin pieces of material, chips, fragments, foreign particles, or the like from entering the tubing when the outer diameter of the tubing is being surfaced, cut, pierced, sliced, split, incised, machined, deburred, or the like.
Maintenance of machinery specifically, but without limitation, aircraft machinery involves situations in which damaged tubing needs to be removed and/or repaired. Tubing is a material in the form of a tube, a duct, a slender pipe for conveying fluids (gas or liquid), a hollow elongated cylindrical body, or any similar type of means, system or mechanism. In aircraft, tubing is typically manufactured from rubber, plastic, metal, metal alloys, or any class of chemical elements that can conduct heat and/or electricity. Removal and/or repair of the tubing sometimes requires cutting out the damaged section using a tube cutter kitset. The cutting process, especially in metal and metal alloy tubing such as titanium tubing, severs the tubing by penetrating and displacing the tubing material. The cutting process typically creates a protruding ragged edge, a thin ridge, a raised narrow strip or an area of roughness near the area of the cut. After the cutting, the tubing is reconnected using a union fitting. The displaced material and/or area created by the cutting process, commonly referred to as xe2x80x9croll-overxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cburrsxe2x80x9d, increases the tubing outer diameter at the cut end. For thick walled tubing, this roll-over effect inhibits the tubing from fitting into the union fitting or any other type of fitting. This occurrence is particularly evident with titanium tubing, which is used on hydraulic tubing of aircraft. Surfacing tools can remove the burrs or rolled-over material. This removal process of burrs, rolled-over material, attached chips or slivers or strips, ridges, jagged edges or the like, is commonly referred to as deburring.
Deburring may be performed at a grinding station or at a lathe. This method requires the removal of the entire tubing from the machinery. However, this method cannot be used when there is no easy access to the burr(s) or the tubing cannot be removed from the machinery. Also, removal and replacement of the tubing may be a long and complex process, especially in aircraft. Therefore, removal of the entire tubing from the aircraft or machine may not be time or cost efficient, especially when dealing with military aircraft where time is valuable commodity.
A hand held surfacing tool may be used to deburr tubing. During the surfacing or deburring process burrs, rolled-over material, chips, slivers or the like can fall into the tubing. If foreign particles are present within any tubing of aircraft or any other type of machinery, this could cause operational as well as safety problems. In addition, cleaning the inside of tubing can be very difficult and time consuming, if at all possible. Therefore, it is imperative that none of the chips, shavings, slivers, burrs, rolled-over material, foreign particles, or the like enter the tubing when the outer diameter is being surfaced or deburred.
Information relevant to these attempts to address these problems can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,819,526, 5,076,122, 5,425,605, 5,580,008, 5,979,276, 6,009,735, 6,044,571, and 6,129,488. (None of these references are admitted to be prior art with respect to the present invention.) However, each of these references does not address the problem when the outer diameter is being surfaced or preventing burrs from entering inside the tubing.
For the foregoing reasons there is a need for an outer diameter deburring tool that effectively deburrs the outer diameter of tubing and prevents foreign particles from entering the inside of tubing.
The instant invention is directed to an outer diameter deburring tool that satisfies the needs enumerated above and below.
The present invention is directed to an outer diameter deburring tool that includes a plunger button assembly, an adapter handle, an outer diameter cutter, and a plunger stem assembly. The adapter handle accepts the plunger stem assembly, and the outer diameter cutter communicates with the adapter handle. The plunger button assembly communicates with the plunger stem assembly such that the plunger button assembly is able to change the position of the plunger stem assembly. The plunger stem assembly is able to prevent burrs or foreign particles from entering the tubing while the outer diameter cutter deburrs the tubing.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an outer diameter deburring tool that prevents foreign particles from entering the inside of tubing when the outer diameter of the tubing is being deburred or surfaced. Furthermore, it is another object of the invention to provide an outer diameter deburring tool that provides a tubing system that is free of shavings and burrs as well as a tighter tolerance fit when tubing is reworked and refit.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an outer diameter deburring tool that is hand held and portable. It is also an object of the invention to provide an outer diameter deburring tool that is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an outer diameter deburring tool that does not require the tubing that will be deburred to be removed from the machinery.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an outer diameter deburring tool that enhances uniformity in burr removal from the outer diameter of tubing.
It is an object of the invention to provide an outer diameter deburring tool that will effectively remove roll-over material from thick walled titanium hydraulic tubing and prevent any foreign matter from entering the tubing during this process.